My Record Collection by Rob Lynch

In My Record Collection, we dig down to the bottom of musicians' souls to find out what the most treasured parts of their record collection are. This week, it's the turn of singer-songwriter Rob Lynch, let's see what he picks out for us...

You can check out some of Rob's picks in this playlist...

The first record I ever bought with my own money was…

"This is Slipknot - Slipknot (This might not be strictly the first record I bought, as there were compilations and throwaway pop albums prior to this, but this was the first important one.) I remember hearing 'Wait and Bleed' on a music TV channel at my grandparents' house (I never had Sky TV so didn’t ever get to watch them at home) and I was transfixed. When I left they gave me £10, and the next morning I went down to my local record store (yeah, that used to be a thing) and I bought the self-titled album. It was during the school holidays and when I got home none of my family were in the house. What came out of the speakers was so heavy, I wasn't even sure whether I was allowed to be listening to it. Needless to say, I loved it."

The record that made me want to be in a band was…

"Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly EP I got my first acoustic guitar for my 18th birthday. I never really had any plans to form a band or to even play live, as such, I just wanted to write a few songs in my bedroom. About a year later, I heard the GCWCF EP and fell in love with it. I went to see him live and saw those songs being played, and it’s then that I realised that I wanted a piece of the action."

The record I've played more than any other is…

"Blink 182 - Enema Of The State I imagine that this is the most played record in my collection just considering how many years I’ve been listening to it. This, for me, was Blink’s pinnacle and is pop punk at its finest. It soundtracked so many good times for me and my friends over the years and putting it on now feels like hanging out with an old friend."

The record that always make me feel good is…

"Jurassic 5 - J5. A girl at school lent me this album. We weren’t even particularly good friends, so I’m not really sure why, but I’m glad she did. I can’t listen to Concrete Schoolyard and be in a bad mood. It just loosens me up. This reminds me that I still really need to see them live."

The record I turn to when I'm feeling down is…

"The National - Trouble Will Find Me. I only got into them when this album came out, and now I’ve gone back and listened to everything they’ve done, and I love them. It’s not always the best idea to listen to sad stuff when you’re feeling down, but I quite like knowing that you’re not the only one that’s miserable, so I find Trouble Will Find Me to be a big old hug to the ears."

The record I think is the most underrated of all time is…

"AFI - Sing The Sorrow. I know a lot of people who love this album, so it’s not exactly gone unnoticed, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not a massive chart topping album. It’s one of those records where I don’t skip a track, the pacing and ebb and flow are perfect, and the Butch Vig production sounds just as fresh today as it did when it came out in 2003."

The record with my favourite cover art is…

"Bon Iver - Bon Iver. It’s perfect for how the album sounds. It’s a painting of a lake, trees and a cabin. Every time I see it, it makes me want to me there. (This album could’ve made it as an answer elsewhere on this list, but I didn’t want to put it in twice.)"

The record with my favourite title is…

"Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker. It’s just cool as hell."

The record I can't understand why everybody loves is…

"I’ll go with any album by Muse. I wasn’t sure who to pick for this, but it was Glastonbury recently and I saw that they were headlining, so they’re fresh in my memory. I just don’t ‘get’ them."

The last record I bought was…

"Tegan and Sara - Love You To Death. I’ve always liked Tegan and Sara, but none of the albums have really stuck with me over the years. This new one is really great though, it’s got a dancey Euro-pop feel to it, which is totally up my street. It’s my favourite thing that they’ve released."

The record I'm most looking forward to hearing in 2016 is…

"This is a bit of a silly one, but last year I had a phase where I listened to a lot of country-pop music. One of the bands that I got into the most was Florida Georgia Line. I don’t really believe in ‘guilty pleasures’ as such, as you shouldn’t have to feel guilty about what you listen to, but they’re about the closest thing that I have to a guilty pleasure, and I’m totally not ashamed to say it. They’ve got a new album coming out this year, and I know it will soundtrack many a long van journey on tour with cold beer in hand."

The greatest record of all time is…

"Elliott Smith - Either/Or This is such a difficult one to choose, I don’t think I have an absolute favourite record, as it really depends what mood I’m in. But seeing as he hasn’t had a mention yet, I’ll go with Either/Or by Elliott Smith. It’s a beautifully fragile record full of sweet melodies and heartbreaking lyrics. I’ve been listening to this album for years and I imagine I will be forever. I love all of Elliott Smith’s work, I love that, as soon as you hear his voice, you know who it is straight away. This album is his finest work."